LEST WE FORGET 

THE STORY OF THOMAS PAINE 
AND THE NATION’S DEBT TO HIS 
MEMORY by ELLA WHEELER WILCOX 


:rr- 


PRICE. TEN CENTS 
Pablithed by 

THOMAS PAINE 
NATIONAL HISTORICAL 
ASSOCIATION 


■ '.''i'jtVA 


W. H. HARVEY, Treasurer 
62 VESEY STREET, NEW YORK, N. Y. 



7 “The World it 
7 V, uiy Country; 
To Do Good My 
Religion.” 

—Thomas Paine, 













» 

I 



/ 


/ 


I 





I 


> ^ 

^ 3 


5 




3 9 ’3 


3 


I 


I 


1 

I 



r 

r'l 

•f 



« 


*. * 






/v 




%> 




4 





THOMAS PAINE 
1737—1809 



























LEST 

WE FORGET I 

By I 

ELLA WHEELER WILCOX \ 



I 

PRINTED I 

AT THE ROYCROFT SHOP, WHICH I 
IS IN EAST AURORA, ERIE ? 

COUNTY, N. Y. ! 



JC 118 


^£3 4 (•[<; 



» 


' % • 



/ 

•v 

k 


LEST WE FORGET 

By Ella Wheeler Wilcox 

VERY American 
should know the 
story of Thomas 
Paine’s life. Unfor¬ 
tunately, however, 
only a comparatively small 
number of our immense popu¬ 
lation are acquainted with his 
remarkable career, and but 
few realize the great debt of 
gratitude that we all owe this 
great libertarian’s memory. 



3 




LEST WE FORGET 


How many Americans know that 
to Thomas Paine’s writings, more 
than to any other factor, we owe 
our independence as the United 
States of America? How many 
of us know that the very name, 
‘‘ United States of America,” 
was coined by Thomas Paine 
and first used by him ? All of us 
should know it. 

Thomas Paine was one of the 
founders of the United States of 
America; was, in fact, the prime 
mover in the establishment of 


4 



LEST WE FORGET 


the great American republic. 
Had it not been for his great 
efforts in liberty's behalf, it is 
quite as likely as not that to this 
very day this land would have 
remained under British rule. 
Thomas Paine wrote and pub¬ 
lished in January, Seventeen 
Hundred Seventy-six, the earli¬ 
est plea for American indepen¬ 
dence. This was his pamphlet 
entitled. Common Sense. Pre¬ 
vious to the appearance of 
Paine's masterly argument urg- 


5 


LEST WE FORGET 


ing immediate separation and 
resistance, the American Colo¬ 
nists, notwithstanding the impo¬ 
sitions of Great Britain (unbear¬ 
able taxations, etc.),had thought 
only of supplications and peti¬ 
tions to George the Third for 
relief. Despite the British 
monarch’s long-continued obdu¬ 
racy and the fact that each new 
oppression was followed by 
another and that he turned a 
deaf ear to all appeals, the Colo¬ 
nists still hoped on, with never a 


6 


LEST WE FORGET 


thought of rebellion. Even Wash¬ 
ington, at this time, expressed 
loyalty to the king. 

Like a thunderbolt from the sky 
came Paine's magnificent argu¬ 
ment for liberty. It electrified 
the people, and its stirring words 
swept like wildfire through the 
country. No pamphlet ever 
written sold in such vast num¬ 
bers, nor did any ever before or 
since produce such marvelous 
results. Paine donated all the 
financial proceeds of the pam- 


7 



LEST WE FORGET 


phlet to the cause of liberty (as 
he did with all of his other works). 

Washington, now converted, 
wrote to his friends in praise of 
Common Sense, asserting that 
Paine’s words were “ sound doc¬ 
trine and unanswerable reason¬ 
ing.” Jefferson, John Adams, 
Franklin, Madison, all the great 
statesmen of the time, wrote 
praisefully of Paine’s ‘‘ flaming 
arguments.” 

In July, six months after Com¬ 
mon Sense had awakened the 


8 



LEST WE FORGET 


people, the Declaration of Inde¬ 
pendence, embracing the chief 
arguments of Paine’s great 
pamphlet, and much of its actual 
wording, was signed by the com¬ 
mittee of patriots in Philadel¬ 
phia ^ ^ 

The great Revolution com¬ 
menced at once. The oppressed 
Colonists took up arms at a 
great disadvantage, by reason 
of lack of food, clothes, money 
and munitions of war; but, 
inspired by the forceful message 


9 



LEST WE FORGET 


of Common Sense, they fought 
bravely and well. When Winter 
set in, however, the ill-clad, 
poorly-nourished little army had 
been greatly reduced in numbers 
by desertions from its ranks. 
Many of the soldiers were shoe¬ 
less and left bloody footprints 
on the snow-covered line of 
march. All were but half-hearted 
at this time and many utterly 
discouraged. Washington wrote 
most apprehensively concerning 
the situation to the Congress ^ 


10 



LEST WE FORGET 


Paine, in the meantime (himself 
a soldier, with General Greene’s 
army on the retreat from Fort 
Lee, New Jersey, to Newark), 
realizing the necessity of at once 
instilling renewed hope and cour¬ 
age in the soldiers if the cause of 
liberty were to be saved, wrote 
by campfire at night the first 
number of his soul-stirring Crisis, 
commencing with the words: 

‘‘ These are the times that try 
men’s souls. The summer soldier 
and the sunshine patriot will, in 


11 


LEST WE FORGET 


this crisis, shrink from the ser¬ 
vice of their country, but he that 
stands it now deserves the love 
and thanks of man and woman. 
Tyranny, like Hell, is not easily 
conquered; yet we have this 
consolation with us, that the 
harder the conflict, the more 
glorious the triumph. What we 
obtain too cheap we esteem too 
lightly: it is dearness only that 
gives everything its value ^ 
Heaven knows how to put a 
proper price upon its goods; and 


12 


LEST WE FORGET 


it would be strange indeed if so 
celestial an article as freedom 
should not be highly rated/’ ^ 
Washington ordered the Crisis 
read aloud to every regiment of 
the army. The effect was magical. 
Hope was renewed in every 
breast. Deserters returned to the 
ranks. Men who had half-heart¬ 
edly withheld from joining the 
patriot army took courage from 
Paine’s thrilling words and 
shouldered muskets with the 
rest. The great cause, tottering 


13 



LEST WE FORGET 


on the brink of dissolution, was 
saved. Paine’s Crisis did it ^ 
Following the first number of 
the Crisis came others—thirteen 
in all—the last commencing with 
the words: 

“ The times that tried men’s 
souls are over.” 

Paine was not only a great 
author and statesman, but he 
was distinctly a pioneer, an 
originator, an inventor and cre¬ 
ator. To him we are indebted for 
many of the world’s greatest ideas 


14 



LEST WE FORGET 


and most important reforms. 
It was Paine who first proposed 
the abolition of negro slavery ; 
Paine was the first to suggest 
arbitration and international 
peace; Paine originally proposed 
old-age pensions. 

These are a few of the other 
great ideas he fathered: He first 
suggested international copy¬ 
right; first proposed the educa¬ 
tion of children of the poor at 
public expense; first suggested a 
great republic of all the nations 


15 


LEST WE FORGET 


of the world; first proposed 
the land for the people ” ; first 
suggested ‘‘ the religion of 
humanity ; first proposed and 
first wrote the words “ United 
States of America ”; first sug¬ 
gested protection for dumb ani¬ 
mals ; first suggested justice to 
women; first proposed the pur¬ 
chase of the Louisiana territory; 
first suggested the Federal Union 
of States. 

Much, much more might be told 
of this wonderful man, but this 


16 



LEST WE FORGET 


is merely a little booklet, not a 
biographical volume. 

For a century the world has 
ignored this brilliant mind. In¬ 
deed, Paine’s name has been 
branded by bigots and fanatics 
with all imaginable obloquy ^ 
He was called an atheist, a Free- 
Thinker, a blasphemer, simply 
because he could not believe in 
some old traditions which today 
are known to be allegorical, and 
which few intelligent minds 
regard seriously. 


17 


LEST WE FORGET 


Some of the world’s greatest men 
have paid tributes of praise to 
Thomas Paine, and their testi¬ 
mony is worth recording. 
Napoleon said in toasting him at 
a banquet, “ Every city in the 
world should erect a gold statue 
to you.” 

General Andrew Jackson, the 
“ Hero of New Orleans,” and 
the seventh President of the 
United States, said to the vener¬ 
able philanthropist. Judge Hert- 
tell, of New York, upon the 


18 


LEST WE FORGET 


latter proposing the erection of a 
suitable monument to Thomas 
Paine: 

“ Thomas Paine needs no mon¬ 
ument made by hands; he has 
erected himself a monument in 
the hearts of all lovers of liberty. 
The Rights of Man will be more 
enduring than all the piles of 
marble and granite man can 
erect.’’ ^ ^ 

George Washington, first Presi¬ 
dent of this great Republic, in a 
letter to Thomas Paine, inviting 


19 


LEST WE FORGET 


that author and patriot to par¬ 
take with him, at Rocky-Hill, 
wrote: 

‘‘ Your presence may remind 
Congress of your past services 
to this country, and if it is in my 
power to impress them, com¬ 
mand my best exertions with 
freedom, as they will be rendered 
cheerfully, by one who enter¬ 
tains a lively sense of the impor¬ 
tance of your works. 
Major-General Charles Lee, of 
the American Revolutionary 


20 



LEST WE FORGET 


Army, speaking of the wonderful 
effects of Paine’s writings, said 
that “ he burst forth on the 
world like Jove in thunder! ” ^ 
John Adams said that Lee used 
to speak of Paine as “ the man 
with genius in his eyes.” 

Joel Barlow, poet, patriot and 
statesman, and an intimate 
friend of Paine, wrote of him as 
follows: 

‘‘ He was one of the most benev¬ 
olent and disinterested of man¬ 
kind, endowed with the clearest 


21 



LEST WE FORGET 


perception, an uncommon share 
of original genius, and the great¬ 
est depth of thought. 

‘‘ He ought to be ranked among 
the brightest and undeviating 
luminaries of the age in which he 
lived ^ ^ 

“ As a visiting acquaintance and 
a literary friend, he was one of 
the most instructive men I ever 
have known. He had a surprising 
memory and a brilliant fancy. 
His mind was a storehouse of 
facts and useful observations. 


22 



LEST WE FORGET 


He was full of lively anecdote, 
and ingenious, original, pertinent 
remark upon almost every sub¬ 
ject ^ ^ 

“ He was always charitable to 
the poor beyond his means, a 
sure protector and a friend to all 
Americans in distress that he 
found in foreign countries: and 
he had frequent occasion to 
exert his influence in protecting 
them during the Revolution in 
France. His writings will answer 
for his patriotism.’’ 


23 



LEST WE FORGET 


Thomas Clio Rickman, author, 
poet, biographer, writing of 
Paine, said: 

Why seek occasions, surly 
critics and detractors, to mal¬ 
treat and misrepresent Mr. 
Paine? He was mild, unoffend¬ 
ing, sincere, gentle, humble and 
unassuming; his talents were 
soaring, acute, profound, exten¬ 
sive and original; and he pos¬ 
sessed that charity which covers 
a multitude of sins.’’ 

Thomas Jefferson, third Presi- 


24 



LEST WE FORGET 


dent of the United States and 
co-author with Thomas Paine 
of the famous Declaration of 
Independence, wrote to Paine 
in Eighteen Hundred One, ten¬ 
dering him a passage to the 
United States, from France, in 
a national vessel. Jefferson’s 
appreciation of Paine may be 
noted in this paragraph of his 
letter: 

“ I am in hopes you will find us 
returned generally to sentiments 
worthy of former times. In these 


25 



LEST WE FORGET 


it will be your glory to have 
steadily labored, and with as 
much effect as any man living. 
That you may long live to con¬ 
tinue your useful labors, and to 
reap the reward of the thankful¬ 
ness of nations, is my sincere 
prayer.’’ ^ ^ 

James Monroe, fifth President 
of the United States, in a letter 
to Thomas Paine, wrote as fol¬ 
lows : 

“It is not necessary for me to 
tell you how much all your 


26 



LEST WE FORGET 


countrymen—I speak of the 
great mass of the people—are 
interested in your welfare. They 
have not forgotten the history 
of their own Revolution, and the 
difficult scenes through which 
they have passed; nor do they 
review its several stages without 
reviving in their bosoms a due 
sensibility of the merits of those 
who served them in that great 
and arduous conflict. The crime 
of ingratitude has not yet stained, 
and I hope never will stain, our 


27 



LEST WE FORGET 


national character. You are con¬ 
sidered by them as not only 
having rendered important ser¬ 
vices in our own Revolution, but 
as being, on a more extensive 
scale, the friend of human rights, 
and a distinguished and able 
advocate in favor of public lib¬ 
erty. To the welfare of Thomas 
Paine the Americans are not, 
nor can they be, indifferent.’’ ^ 
Let us reiterate the hope ex¬ 
pressed by James Monroe, that 
the crime of ingratitude shall 


28 



LEST WE FORGET 


never stain our national charac¬ 
ter. It is time indeed that the 
world awakened to the merits of 
Thomas Paine. 

With the view of spreading the 
light concerning Paine, the 
Thomas Paine National Histor¬ 
ical Association was organized 
and incorporated in New York 
some years ago. Through the 
efforts of this Association Thomas 
Paine is at last coming into his 
own. The Association intends 
that Thomas Paine shall occupy 


29 



LEST WE FORGET 


that niche in the world’s Temple 
of Fame where he properly 
belongs, and to that end it bends 
its every endeavor. 

The Association has established 
at New Rochelle, New York, in 
the house that Paine built on 
the great farm presented to him 
by the State of New York in 
recognition of his patriotic ser¬ 
vices, a Thomas Paine National 
Museum. Admission is free. The 
Association publishes pamphlets 
and other literature from time 


30 



LEST WE FORGET 


to time on the subject of Thomas 
Paine. 

In the Thomas Paine National 
Museum at New Rochelle are to 
be seen relics of the great author, 
rare first editions of his chief 
works, rare portraits, etc., etc. 
On January the Twenty-ninth, 
Paine’s birthday, the Associa¬ 
tion holds its yearly dinner. 
Every year, usually on Memo¬ 
rial Day, the Association has a 
commemorative meeting in 
Paine’s honor at the Paine 


31 


LEST WE FORGET 


Monument in New Rochelle. 
The expenses of the Association 
are defrayed by the receipts 
from membership dues. The 
officers receive no remuneration 
for their services. The member¬ 
ship dues are only one dollar a 
year (no initiation or other fees). 
C, The Association will gladly 
send literature concerning the 
organization and its work to 
any one applying for it. Address: 
W. H. Harvey, Treasurer, Sixty- 
two Vesey Street, New York. 


32 



'J^HE most formidable 
Weapon against errors 
of every k.ind is Reason. 
I have never used any 
other and I trust I never 
shall 


—Thomas Paine. 



Thomas Paine 
National Historical 
Association 


W. M. van der WEYDE 
President 

7 West 103d Street 
New York 


W. H. HARVEY 
Treasurer 
62 Vescy Street 
New York 


EDWARD HENN 
Seeretarg 

334 East Slst Street 
New York 






Certain I am that 
when opinions are 
free* either in matters 
of government or relig¬ 
ion, truth will finally 
and powerfully prevail. 

—Thomas Paine. 











